Applicator type containers



June 2, 1964 B. G. HOWELL 3,135,007

APPLICATOR TYPE CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, 1962 Inventor BRYAN GORDONHOWELL y W Qua! Q Attorneys United States Patent 3,135,007 APPLICATORTYPE CONTAINERS Bryan Gordon Howell, Ruislip, Middlesex, England, as-

signor to The Metal Box Company Limited, London, England, a Britishcompany Filed Jan. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 168,892 Claims priority,application Great Britain Feb. 17, 1961 3 Claims. (Cl. 15608) Thisinvention relates to an applicator type container for flowable materialssuch as liquids or creams and which is of the kind fitted with a pad toeffect spreading of material delivered thereto from the container.

In applicator type containers of this kind it is usual for the pad to befitted to the neck of the container and to be secured thereto at leastin part by an adhesive thereby to prevent the pad from being dislodgedfrom the neck while the pad is being pressed against and rubbed over thesurface to which the material is being applied. The securing of the padby the use of adhesive renders it difficult to effect fitting of the padto the container by automatic means and it is a main object of thepresent invention to provide an applicator type container the pad forwhich can be secured in a position by automatic means and without theuse of adhesives.

According to the invention there is provided an applicator typecontainer for flowable materials such as liquids or creams, wherein asoft flexible pad extends outwards from a member which is located at theouter end of and effects communication with the interior of a neckformed on the container, the pad being retained in position by a thinmetal element integral with and inturned towards said member thereby totrap and press a peripheral portion of the pad against said member.

Further there is provided a method of securing a soft flexible pad to acontainer for flowable material such as liquids or creams, by disposingthe pad on a member integral with or adapted to be fitted to and toeffect communication with the interior of the outer end of the neck ofthe container with one end of the pad in a thin metal element integralwith and extending from said member, and inturning said element towardssaid member thereby to trap and press a peripheral portion of the padagainst said member.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood some embodimentsthereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a section of the upper end of a collapsible tube having theinvention applied thereto,

FIG. 2 is a section through a ferrule having an applicator pad fittedthereto, the ferrule being adapted to be fitted to the neck of a bottleor similar container, and

FIG. 3 illustrates a method by which an applicator pad is applied to aferrule as illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 the applicator type container comprises acollapsible tube 1 formed from extruded aluminium, the tube as iscustomary being provided with a neck 2. A member 3 located at the outerend of the neck 2 is integral therewith and is provided with an aperture4 which extends through the member 3 to effect communication with theinterior of the neck.

A soft flexible pad 5 extends outwards from the member 3 and is retainedin position by a thin metal element 6 which is inturned towards themember 3 thereby to trap and press a peripheral portion of the pad 5against the member 3. As illustrated in the drawing, the element 6 is ofannular form and is inturned to form a curl in which a part 7 of the pad5 is trapped while a further portion 8 of the pad is pressed against themember 3 by an exterior portion of the curl.

The pad 5 may be made of any suitable soft flexible 3,135,001 PatentedJune 2, 1964 material which may be of an absorbent character so thatmaterial from the container passing through the aperture 4 is soaked upby the pad and can be applied thereby to a surface by rubbing the padover the surface while pressing the pad against the surface. Suitableforms of absorbent material are foam or sponge rubber or other foammaterial such as polyurethane. Alternatively, the pad may be formed froma non-cellular or other non-absorbent material and when formed of suchmaterial the pad is provided with a hole which extends therethrough inalignment with the aperture 4. The hole and aperture are sealed by aplug 9 which extends therethrough and which is integral with, or issecured to, a cap 10 arranged to be fitted to the exterior of the neck2. As illustrated in FIG. 1 the cap 10 is provided with internal screwthreads for engagement by external threads formed on the neck 2.Preferably the plug 9 tapers from the crown of the cap towards the freeend thereof which extends through the aperture 4.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention in whichthe pad 5 is fitted to a thin metal ferrule 11, the ferrule beingadapted to be fitted to the neck 12 of a bottle 13, for example to abottle made from a plastic material, the ferrule being inserted into theneck frictionally to engage the sides thereof in a manner such as tosecure the ferrule against unintentional displacement from the neck. Theinner end of the ferrule is provided with an opening to communicate withthe interior of the bottle.

The ferrule 11 is provided with a shoulder 14 which is engageable withthe rim of the mouth of the bottle neck 12 and the pad 5 extendsoutwards from the shoulder 14 and is retained in position relativethereto by an inturned element 6 which is integral with the shoulder 14.As can be seen from FIG. 2, the pad 5 is trapped by the curl 6 in themanner described above with reference to FIG. 1.

In some instances the flowable material in the con- .tainer is of acharacter which may evaporate during storage and, if desired, to preventsuch evaporation a sealing disc 15 may be arranged to extend across thethrough way of the ferrule and to be located between the shoulder 14 andthe pad 5. The sealing disc is imperforate and must therefore be piercedbefore the applicator can be put into use. Piercing of the sealing disc15 may be effected by pressing a piercing element through the pad 5 andsealing disc 15. In one embodiment the applicator is supplied fittedwith a piercing element 16 which is removably inserted into the padthrough the outer face 17 thereof to extend, as illustrated in FIG. 2,into close proximity with the sealing disc 15. When it is desired to putthe applicator into use pressure is exerted on the upper surface 17 ofthe pad and on the piercing element 16 so that the pad is compressedaxially until the piercing element is forced through the sealing disc 15thus effecting piercing thereof to permit fiowable material from thecontainer to pass into the pad 5 following removal of the piercingelement 16 which can be effected by gripping of the head 18 of thepiercing element and withdrawing the element from the pad.

When the pad 5 is first assembled with the container or ferrule, as thecase may be, the element 6 is not curled as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, butextends outwards from the member 3, or shoulder 14, in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 3. While it is preferred that the element 6 consistsof an annulus to form a continuous curl, it may, if desired, be formedby a plurality of members spaced apart around the pad 5. Overturning ofthe element 6 may be effected in any desired manner, for example byspinning, or, if desired, it may be effected by the method illustratedin FIG. 3. This figure illustrates the method of securing the pad 5 to aferrule 11 and the ferrule is placed in a O holder 19 secured to a table20 beneath a curling tool 21 which is supported for verticalreciprocation towards and away from the holder 19.

Following the placing of the ferrule in the holder 19, the pad 5, whichis a cylindrical prism the diameter of which is approximately equal tothe diameter of the annular element 6, and which preferably has adiameter slightly greater than that of the element 6, is placed into theelement 6 to rest on the shoulder 14 or, if as illustrated in FIG. 3 asealing disc 15 is employed, to rest on the sealing disc 15 which isplaced in the ferrule in precedence to the pad 5. The curling tool 21 isnow moved downwards and during the downward movement thereof the upperportion of the pad 5 is engaged in a recess 22 which causes the upperportion of the pad 5 to be reduced in cross-section due to compressionthereof. The reduction in cross-section of the upper portion of pad 5causes the pad portion which is adjacent to the shoulder 14 to divergeaway therefrom, as indicated by the reference numeral 23, therebypresenting a peripheral portion of the pad which is directed away fromthe upstanding element 6 so that, as the element 6 is inturned towardsthe shoulder 14, the edge portion 24 of the element 6 presses into thesloping side portion 23 of the pad and so causes the portion 7 of thepad to be trapped in the curl. The length of the element 6 is so chosenthat the portion 8 of the pad 5 is pressed against the shoulder 14 by anexterior portion of the curl when the curl-forming opera tion iscompleted.

Overturning of the element 6 to effect the formation of the curl iseffected by an annular recess 25 in the curling tool, the arrangementbeing, as shown in FIG. 3, such that as the tool 21 approaches theholder 19, the edge of the element 6 is engaged by the curved portion ofthe recess 25 so that the continued downward movement of the tool 21causes the element 6 to be inturned towards the shoulder 14.

I claim:

1. An applicator type container for fiowable materials such as liquidsor creams, comprising a container having a neck giving access to theinterior of the container, a member located at the outer end of saidneck and effecting communication with the interior of the neck, a softflexible pad extending outwards from said member, and

an annular thin metal element integral with said member and inturnedtowards the member to form a substantially closed curl, a part of saidpad closely adjacent to said member being trapped in the curl and aperipheral portion of the pad being pressed against said member by theunderside of a portion of the curl directed towards the annular portionof said element from which the curl is inturned.

2. An applicator type container for fiowable materials such as liquidsor creams, comprising a collapsible tube having a neck giving access tothe interior of the tube, an apertured member integral with said neckand located at the outer end of the neck to effect communication withthe interior of the neck, a soft flexible pad extending outwards fromsaid member, and an annular thin metal element integral with said memberand inturned towards the member to form a substantially closed curl, apart of said pad closely adjacent to said member being trapped in thecurl and a peripheral portion of the pad being pressed against saidmember by the underside of a portion of the curl directed towards theannular portion of said element from which the curl is inturned.

3. An applicator type container for fiowable materials such as liquidsor creams, comprising a container having a neck giving access to theinterior of the container, a ferrule fitted to the neck, said ferrulecommunicating with the interior of the neck and having a shoulder at theouter end thereof, a soft flexible pad extending outwards from saidshoulder, and an annular thin metal element formed in continuation ofsaid shoulder and inturned towards the shoulder to form a substantiallyclosed curl, a part of said pad closely adjacent to said shoulder beingtrapped in the curl and a peripheral portion of the pad being pressedagainst said shoulder by the underside of a portion of the curl directedtowards the annular portion of said element from which the curl isinturned.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 83,743Denmark Oct. 28, 1957 344,823 Switzerland Apr. 14, 1960 800,792 GreatBritain Sept. 3, 1958 1,069,353 Germany Nov. 19, 1959

1. AN APPLICATOR TYPE CONTAINER FOR FLOWABLE MATERIALS SUCH AS LIQUIDSOR CREAMS, COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING A NECK GIVING ACCESS TO THEINTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER, A MEMBER LOCATED AT THE OUTER END OF SAIDNECK AND EFFECTING COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE NECK, A SOFTFLEXIBLE PAD EXTENDING OUTWARDS FROM SAID MEMBER, AND AN ANNULAR THINMETAL ELEMENT INTEGRAL WITH SAID MEMBER AND INTURNED TOWARDS THE MEMBERTO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED CURL, A PART OF SAID PAD CLOSELY ADJACENTTO SAID MEMBER BEING TRAPPED IN THE CURL AND A PERIPHERAL PORTION OF THEPAD BEING PRESSED AGAINST SAID MEMBER BY THE UNDERSIDE OF A PORTION OFTHE CURL DIRECTED TOWARDS THE ANNULAR PORTION OF SAID ELEMENT FROM WHICHTHE CURL IS INTURNED.